A/RES/56/261. Resolution of the United Nations General Assembly, 2002

• Resolution Number: A/RES/56/261
• Year: 2002
• Session: 56th
• Issuer: General Assembly of the United Nation

United Nations A/RES/56/261

General Assembly Distr.: General

15 April 2002

Fifty-sixth session

Agenda item 110

01 49754

Resolution adopted by the General Assembly

[without reference to a Main Committee (A/56/L.70)]

56/261. Plans of action for the implementation of the Vienna

Declaration on Crime and Justice: Meeting the Challenges

of the Twenty-first Century

The General Assembly

,

Recalling

its resolution 55/59 of 4 December 2000, in which it endorsed the

Vienna Declaration on Crime and Justice: Meeting the Challenges of the Twenty-

first Century, adopted by the Tenth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of

Crime and the Treatment of Offenders,

Noting

that, in paragraph 29 of the Vienna Declaration, the Tenth Congress

invited the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice to design specific

measures for the implementation of and follow-up to the commitments undertaken

in the Declaration,

Recalling

that, in its resolution 55/60 of 4 December 2000, it urged

Governments, in their efforts to prevent and combat crime, to be guided by the

results of the Tenth Congress, and requested the Secretary-General to prepare, in

consultation with Member States, draft plans of action for the implementation of and

follow-up to the commitments undertaken in the Vienna Declaration for

consideration and action by the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal

Justice at its tenth session,

1.

Takes note with appreciation

of the plans of action for the implementation

of the Vienna Declaration on Crime and Justice: Meeting the Challenges of the

Twenty-first Century,

1

which are contained in the annex to the present resolution;

2.

Notes with appreciation

the work of the Commission on Crime Prevention

and Criminal Justice at its ninth and tenth sessions on the preparation of the plans of

action for the implementation of the Vienna Declaration;

3.

Requests

the Secretary-General to ensure the widest possible circulation

of the plans of action;

4.

Invites

Governments to consider carefully and use, as appropriate, the

plans of action as a guide in their efforts to formulate legislation, policies and

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1 Resolution 55/59, annex.

A/RES/56/261

2

programmes in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice, for the purpose of

implementing and following up on the commitments undertaken in the Vienna

Declaration;

5.

Invites

the Secretary-General, in close cooperation with relevant inter-

governmental organizations and non-governmental organizations, to consider

carefully and implement, as appropriate, the plans of action as a guide in developing

policies and programmes in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice, in

accordance with the medium-term plans and the programme budgets, and subject to

available resources;

6.

Invites

the Secretariat to discuss with the institutes of the United Nations

Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme network their possible

contribution to the implementation of the plans of action, under the coordination of

the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice;

7.

Invites

Member States and regional and international institutions,

including financial institutions, to strengthen the Programme further through

sustained funding and other technical support activities in order to assist interested

States in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice, as appropriate;

8.

Invites

the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice to

follow up the implementation of the plans of action and to make any recom-

mendations as appropriate.

93rd plenary meeting

31 January 2002

Annex

Plans of action for the implementation of the Vienna Declaration

on Crime and Justice: Meeting the Challenges of the Twenty-first

Century

I. Action against transnational organized crime

1. In order to implement and follow up on the commitments undertaken in

paragraphs 5, 6, 7 and 10 of the Vienna Declaration on Crime and Justice: Meeting

the Challenges of the Twenty-first Century

1

and to facilitate the signature,

ratification, entry into force and progressive implementation of the United Nations

Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the protocols thereto,

2

the

specific measures below are recommended.

A. National actions

2. States that have not signed the Convention and the protocols thereto should do

so as soon as possible, and States that have signed those legal instruments should

make every effort to ratify them as soon as possible. Each State will set priorities for

the effective implementation of the Convention and the protocols thereto and will

proceed as appropriate and as expeditiously as possible until all provisions of all of

those legal instruments are in full force and operation. Individually and collectively,

States will endeavour, as appropriate, to support the following actions:

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2 Resolution 55/25, annexes I to II I.